62% of local kids ready for kindergarten

Wednesday

Dec 4, 2013 at 5:13 PMDec 5, 2013 at 9:59 AM

By Lisa.Ermak@hollandsentinel.com(616) 546-4219

Ready for School, the broadly based early childhood readiness initiative, announced†Wednesday morning at its annual breakfast that 62 percent of area children are ready to enter kindergarten.Thatís a figure that has held steady for the past two years, said Bruce Los, chair of the Ready for School board of directors.The goal of Ready for School is to have 75 percent of children entering kindergarten meet benchmark criteria of readiness by 2015. Readiness is based off of the DIBELS Data System.Even though the amount of area children ready for kindergarten didnít change in 2012, local leaders say the progress Ready for School is making is substantial."For the three largest school systems at the core of our region, 47.5 percent of the population is on free and reduced lunch," explained Roberto Jara, executive director at Destination Education. "Thatís a significant number of students in our population that are struggling economically, so to have a 62 percent readiness when weíre dealing with those kinds of realities is significant.""I think 62 percent is a great achievement," added Nery Garcia, former principal at Hollandís East K-7. "When you consider the mobility of students in just Holland Public Schools, to have 62 percent ready, in my mind, means that they have captured most of the kids."In 2013, Ready for School was able to help more than 400 children with preschool assistance, enroll 11 children in the Ready Set Talk speech therapy program for preschool-age children with a speech delay and connected 259 families with a playgroup."To maintain what they have done is very, very positive. Whether or not they make that 75 percent goal, I really canít see the community doing a better job," Jara said.For more information about the Ready for School initiative, visit readyforschool.org.ó Follow this reporter @SentinelLisa.